1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine for compressing, slitting and baling a stack of rubber tires.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Used rubber tires have created a serious disposal problem. They cannot readily be buried as landfill because of their bulkiness. When burned they produce dense black smoke which creates an air pollution problem. It has been proposed that they be chopped into small pieces and either burned in incinerators or used as landfill. However, machines designed for this purpose have not had the capacity to handle the large volumes of discarded tires that exist.
It has also been proposed that stacks of such tires be compressed and tied into small bales and then buried as landfill. Machines for this purpose have been in use and are manufactured by Metaltronics, Inc., of Portland, Oregon. Such machines are characterized by a single press platen slidable on vertically extending posts and operated by a hydraulic ram to compress a stack of tires into a small bale. While compressed by the single platen, the stack is tied before the platen is withdrawn.
Tire bales as described have been found to be desirable for use as fish habitats as described more fully in applicants' prior copending application Ser. No. 574,595, filed May 5, 1975. However, such bales tend to float and drift in water because of their buoyancy caused by the air which the tire carcasses entrap. Such bales also tend to pollute bodies of water because of the polluted water which the tire carcasses often contain. To counteract the tendency of the bales to drift, they have been filled with a ballast such as concrete. However, this is expensive and time-consuming and therefore impractical. It has also been suggested that holes be drilled, punched, cut or sawn through the bales to permit the escape of the trapped air and water. However, prior means for accomplishing this have proved unsatisfactory because they have required an operation separate from the compressing and baling operation and additional machines or tools, thereby increasing appreciably the cost of producing the bales. Also it has been found that rubber tires cannot be readily sawn, and that punched or drilled holes are usually not large enough in size or number to serve the purpose.